The Squeeze Film Response of a Rigid Lubricated Axisymmetric Indenter Punch Onto a Soft Thin Elastic Layer: Parametric Studies

The squeeze film response of a nearly flat, rigid lubricated axisymmetric indenter onto a soft, bonded, thin elastic layer is studied through an extensive set of parametric studies using a finite element node‐based elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) model. Effects of indenter curvature on the order of manufacturing tolerances and effects of Poisson's ratio were studied. For indenters with positive curvature, the finite extent of the lubricant film and its relation to the dry contact radius is the key factor that determines the resulting squeeze film response. In particular, the maximum squeeze time to reach a prescribed minimum film thickness occurs at the transition between non‐conformal and conformal lubrication regimes. New results for perfectly flat and inverted indenters of negative curvature were presented. Excellent agreement of EHL squeeze film results with an analytical Grubin‐based approximation was observed under positive curvature, conformal squeeze conditions with compressible elastic layers.